Tigerville, SC - The North Greenville University men's basketball got back to their winning way, defeating Emmanuel College 69-66 on Tuesday night in Hayes Gymnasium.

The first half of action saw neither the Crusaders nor the Lions gain a decisive edge as both teams played to eight total ties in the first 20 minutes. However, North Greenville used two late jumpers from junior Chris Brown and senior LaShawn Alexander in the final 1:30 of the half to take a 36-31 lead into intermission.

The Crusaders built their lead to eight points early in the second half as Emmanuel was unable to close the gap. North Greenville never relinquished the lead despite the Lions cutting the lead to just one point multiple times as a dunk by Alexander and two late free throws from freshman Spencer Reaves sealed the three-point win at home.

North Greenville shot 51 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from long range, as Emmanuel held a slight 38-34 advantage on the boards but shot just 20 percent from three-point range.

Reaves was the Crusaders' leading scorer with a career-high 20 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field including 3-for-6 from deep and a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe, in 36 minutes of play.

Senior Phillip Brown narrowly missed a double-double, totaling 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds and three blocks, while Alexander rounded out the double figure scorers for North Greenville with 12 points and five rebounds of his own. Junior Korval McElroy filled up the stat sheet, totaling seven points, seven rebounds and six assists on the night.

The Crusaders (2-2, 1-1 Conference Carolinas) will return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 2 as they take on Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, NC at 7:30 p.m.